Here's the latest on northwestern Ontario's forest fires: Wednesday, July 22

There are 146 active wildfires burning across the region

There were 146 active wildfires burning in northwestern Ontario as of Tuesday night, according to Ontario's Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services.

Of these, 53 are listed as not under control, five are being held, seven are under control, and the rest are being observed.

Evacuation orders or alerts remain in effect for areas near the following fires:

The largest wildfire in the region, known as Thunder Bay 36, remains out of control, and spans more than 318,000 hectares.

"FireRanger crews, helicopters and heavy equipment operators are assigned to suppression efforts," Ontario's Aviation, Forest Fires and Emergency Services (AFFES) said in Tuesday evening's update.

"Recent precipitation over the last several days has helped to reduce fire behaviour, allowing for crews to make good progress on the fire line."

Forest fire danger ratings are mostly low across the northwest region — with areas of moderate hazard in the Kenora, Dryden and Fort Frances areas — except for a pocket of high hazard in the Sioux Lookout area.

"With cooler temperatures and cloud cover, fire activity on existing fires has remained minimal," Ontario Forest Fires said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

"Although the fire hazard remains low across the northwest region, lightning associated with overnight precipitation still has the potential to cause new fire starts. The public is advised to exercise extreme caution, as holdover lightning fires may emerge in the coming days."

There were 12 new fires confirmed in the region by Tuesday evening:

According to the province's interactive highway map, the closure of Highway 527 at Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek — Gull Bay First Nation — has been extended to the Highway 811 junction.

Highway 811 is also closed due to ongoing wildfire activity, with the exception of local traffic evacuating the area.

The First Nation is now under a mandatory evacuation order after lightning brought the total number of wildfires surrounding the community to six, according to a release issued by the community early Tuesday morning.

In an update issued Monday evening, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) North West Region said:

"The OPP is currently assisting the MNR with an evacuation order of Gull Bay First Nation, which was previously under a self-evacuation. Individuals living in areas under mandatory evacuation orders have been asked to leave their residence immediately and seek safety away from active fires."

The police said other communities are being monitored and residents are urged to stay informed and be prepared to act quickly should further evacuation orders or advisories be issued.

"Additional information will be issued as it becomes available," the OPP said.

No new fires reported in the northeast

No new fires were reported in northeastern Ontario on Tuesday.

As of Tuesday night, there were 40 active wildfires in the northeast region. Of these, four are not under control, four are under control, and the rest are being observed.

Forest fire danger ratings are low across the northeast, with a pocket of moderate hazard in the North Bay area.

This year’s wildfire season has forced more than a dozen communities and areas to evacuate in recent days, including 11 First Nations.

As of Monday, roughly 2,415 people had evacuated to host communities across Ontario, including Thunder Bay, Kenora, Fort Frances, Lac Seul, Sioux Lookout, Red Lake, Barrie, Niagara Falls and Toronto.

A total of 312 air purifiers, 84 air filters and five air scrubbers have also been sent to several communities affected by wildfire smoke, according to the Ontario Corps.

As part of these efforts, Feed Ontario and the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres are shipping and distributing food to evacuees.

GlobalMedic has also delivered essential supplies to the reception centre at the Fort William Gardens Arena in Thunder Bay.

All city facilities and programs resume

As of Tuesday, the Air Quality Health Index for Thunder Bay was at low-risk conditions throughout the day, but air quality is expected to worsen again with moderate risk tonight and into Wednesday.

The City of Thunder Bay has resumed normal operations of all facilities, outdoor programs, parks, beaches, pools and recreational amenities that were temporarily impacted by wildfire smoke.

City crews have also resumed regular outdoor work and will continue to monitor conditions.

The city also said it remains prepared to support regional response efforts and additional evacuations should the need arise, and will continue to work closely with emergency management partners across the region.

With files from Liam Baker and Sarah Law